ORIGINAL
POST, MARCH 8, 9:18 A.M.: Felipe Hernandez, the Santa Ana foster dad accused
last month of raping and sodomizing two girls brought under his and his wife's
care who they later adopted, is now alleged to have preyed on a third girl.

That's revealed in an Orange County District Attorney's office (OCDA) statement
on an arraignment hearing today with a laundry list of charges that could send
the 66-year-old to state prison for 65 years to life.
The Weekly reported on the monstrous allegations regarding two of the
girls last month. Santa Ana police said at the time there was photos and video
evidence of the abuse, which began when one girl, now 15, was 9. A videotape
was also said to show Hernandez engaged in sex acts with the second girl, who
is now 17.

Those cases are rolled into the new OCDA release that discloses a third girl
was 11 when Hernandez allegedly raped her first, abuse that would continue on
several occasions between Dec. 4, 2006, and Aug. 21, 2012, according to
prosecutors.

The girl who was abused beginning when she was 15 also suffered multiple lewd
acts, inappropriate touching and oral copulation between Jan. 1, 2009, and Aug.
21, 2012, according to the OCDA, which adds the then-9-year-old was molested
and raped by force one time between Feb. 1 and March 31, 2006. Those girls were
later adopted by Hernandez and his wife; the OCDA statement does not indicate
if the third female was also adopted.

Santa Ana police previously disclosed that all children had been removed from
the Hernandez home. Orange County Social Services had also said its welfare
checks on foster children ends once they are adopted. The agency could not
comment because of disclosure laws on its previous contact with the Hernandez
foster children.

When it came to the abuse of the then-15-year-old, Hernandez is accused of
threatening to deny her money or take away her cell phone and laptop if she did
not comply with his sexual demands. Santa Ana police had said she told her
school counselor about the abuse, which led to the arrest of Hernandez. But the
OCDA statement claims the police investigation began in the summer of 2012
after a family member found a memory card with video of Hernandez touching the
teen on her buttocks and anus, and then called the cop.

However this disgusting case unraveled, it has resulted in Hernandez being
charged with one felony count of aggravated sexual assault, one felony count of
forcible lewd act on a child under 14 years old, three felony counts of lewd
act upon a child under 14 years old, two felony counts of lewd act upon a
child, one felony count of unlawful sexual intercourse, one felony count of
oral copulation of a minor, one felony count of sexual penetration by foreign
object of minor, one felony count of possession and control of child
pornography, and one misdemeanor count of sexual battery with sentencing
enhancement allegations for multiple victims and substantial sexual conduct
with a child.

More counts could conceivably be added because the investigation of Hernandez,
who is being held in lieu of $1 million bail, continues. Anyone with additional
information or who believes they have been a victim should contact Supervising
District Attorney Investigator Anthony Sosnowski at 714.347.8794 or Santa Ana
Police Detective Ed Zaragoza at 714.245.8386.

UPDATE, MARCH 13, 12:05 P.M.: Santa Ana police
have arrested the 59-year-old wife of Felipe Hernandez for being an alleged
accessory to a child rape pinned to him.

Maria Esther Hernandez, who was held on $20,000 bail pending arraignment
Thursday, is accused of cutting the girl's hair and threatening her if she did
not lie to authorities, according to police.

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